Hayfever – Practical Tips and Literal Solutions

Until my mid-twenties, I thought hayfever was something limited to children, limited to summer, and limited to people who sat around in fields of hay, rubbing sheaves of dry grass in their eyes. That last one is a slight exaggeration, but really I didn’t think of it as debilitating, and I didn’t think it would ever affect me.

Then when I was about 25, I came down with what seemed like a never-ending cold, with chronically itchy, watery eyes. For weeks I did nothing about it – life was busy with a new job, a new boyfriend, and a new apartment. I didn’t have time to think about why my cold wasn’t going away and why my eyes itched so badly. Then it started to affect my concentration and my brain began to feel fuzzy. I’m not the only one who finds hayfever debilitating – Boots research shows that up to 94% of hayfever sufferers state that their symptoms have an impact on daily tasks such as work or school performance.

So finally (through the blur of my watery eyes) I saw sense and went to a pharmacist for advice. She said it sounded like hayfever and suggested anti-histamine tablets. I was astounded – I didn’t think adults could just suddenly develop allergies for no reason. (In fact, hayfever is estimated to affect one fifth of the Irish population.) But it meant I had a solution, and the fuzz began to clear.

From then on, I got hayfever every year. And each year when it kicked in, I started out confused – forgetting I was a sufferer, and self-diagnosing a cold. And then the realisation would hit a week or so into the itchiness and the fuzziness, and I’d stock up on anti-histamines again to help it clear.

I also looked online for hayfever tips and found suggestions like “Stay indoors with all the windows closed”, which was not the advice I was looking for. So instead I had a look on the Boots website and found that they had a number of tips that were much more realistic.

One of the tips said to use an Allergy Barrier Nasal Spray which is a barrier to airborne allergens, so it’s protecting you from the cause of hayfever and therefore helping to prevent the symptoms. You spray it inside your nose, and it stops the pollen getting in. That’s what I really like about it; it helps stops symptoms in their tracks.

Boots hayfever bundles - office mum

Another tip that was on the Boots website was to use their Boots Irritated Eyes Eye Drops to relieve irritations in the eyes. I’ve actually been using the eye drops since last year – there was an immediate effect in stopping the itching the first time I tried them. I fell in love with the product and have been using it since to help my eyes from any irritation caused by my hayfever.

Boots hayfever bundles - office mum

I’ve listed some other tips below which are useful to all hayfever sufferers:

  • Stay on top of pollen by vacuuming and damp dusting to stop pollen settling and spreading
  • Try rubbing a small amount of petroleum jelly inside your lower nostril to stop pollen entering the nasal passage
  • Reduce airborne allergens at home and use a humidifier, as moist air will catch particles
  • If you’ve been out and about, change your clothes and even shower to remove pollen and avoid spreading it
  • A pair of wraparound sunglasses is great way to keep pollen out of your eyes
  • If you’re driving keep your windows up and switch your air to circulate

This year Boots have three hayfever bundles, including a hayfever bundle for children, which offer customers a complete care solution for their allergy and hayfever symptoms. Speak to your local Boots pharmacist for more information and about the right solutions for you.

This is a sponsored post but the product review is based on my own opinions and experience of using the nasal spray and eye drops sent to me by Boots.

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2 thoughts on “Hayfever – Practical Tips and Literal Solutions”

  1. I actually bought these last year on your recommendation and found them great do I’m still using them. Not for hay fever, I find they help my son with his dust mite allergy and alleviate itchy eyes that I seem to get regularly. I keep them stocked up all the time now.

    1. That’s brilliant that they’re working for other allergies! I find that working on my laptop at night makes my eyes itchy and sore even when I don’t have hay fever and the eye drops really help.

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